Fact vs. Fiction

Media

Looking for help with an unplanned pregnancy? We have the information and resources to support you.

When a woman finds out that she is pregnant, it can be a very difficult, isolating and even frightening time in her life, especially if she is unmarried and without the usual support systems in place. She will need to gather her strength and think about her options as clearly as possible, without allowing these new and powerful emotions to cloud her judgment. In the time of crisis when a woman discovers her unplanned pregnancy, many mothers will consider parenting their child, many will consider abortion as the way out of their difficulties, but only a small percentage of women will seriously contemplate adoption.

How many women in Canada choose adoption? Over 60% of pregnancies result in the woman choosing to parent and 40% end in abortion, but only 2% of all pregnancies will lead to an adoption. The unfortunate truth is that many people have not heard about the many positive results of adoption, and don't know about the help that is available for mothers-to-be who go through the adoption process.

For many, their understanding of adoption makes it seem like it would be the most difficult option: a woman must carry her child for nine months, experience all the emotional and psychological bonds that will develop between her and her child, only to relinquish her baby to strangers, whom she does not know and whom she may never see again. If that were the case, it's easy to see why women would remark, “I could never give my baby away,” and make a choice for abortion or parenting instead.

The good news is that this picture is outdated. Over the past fifty years, a lot has changed with adoption that you might not know about. Long gone are the days when a woman was hidden from society until she secretly had a child, which was then wisked away and given to complete strangers. Today, adoption provides strong support and care for mothers throughout the birthing process, total control over every step of the process, the right to have a long-term relationship with her child after the adoption, and freedom of choice over which family will receive her baby.

AdoptionInCanada.ca is designed to put the adoption process in perspective. It attempts to lead the woman who has discovered her untimely pregnancy through the common misconceptions about adoption, give her the knowledge and tools she needs to make an informed decision, and to regain control over both her and her child's future.